It appears one NBA team is open to a blockbuster deal with the Warriors, but it’s unclear if the feeling is mutual.
Golden State (18-16) currently sits at eighth in the Western Conference as of Wednesday afternoon after its 132-125 win over the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center, and is headed toward another trade deadline where a move might be necessary to keep its playoff hopes alive.
If the Warriors wanted to swing big, perhaps in a blockbuster deal for Dallas Mavericks center Anthony Davis, who has been linked to Golden State already, it likely would require parting with either forwards Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler in the trade package, which The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported in a story published Wednesday, citing team sources, is not something the Warriors want to do.
Not only are the Warriors not keen on parting with one of their veteran forwards in a potential deal, but they might not even be interested in Davis at all. Amick also reported in his story, citing team sources, that Dallas contacted Golden State about a potential trade for Davis, not the other way around.
“A Butler-for-Davis swap works financially, as the Warriors forward also makes $54.1 million this season, but Golden State has shown no interest in making such a move,” Amick wrote. “While team sources say the Warriors have not completely closed the door on the prospect of doing a Davis deal, it appears unlikely. What’s more, it should be noted that the Mavericks called Golden State about the Davis possibility — and not the other way around.”
While the Warriors reportedly have not completely closed the door on the idea of a Davis trade, any potential deal likely would include young forward Jonathan Kuminga, who Dallas appears to be enticed by.
“While a league source said the Mavericks do have interest in the Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga, who can’t be traded until Jan. 15 but is widely expected to be dealt before the deadline, the fifth-year forward’s salary ($22.5 million) comes well short of Davis’ ($54.1 million) and would thus require the inclusion of another big contract — i.e. Green ($25.8 million),” Amick added. “Yet as Warriors coach Steve Kerr said publicly last week, and team sources confirmed, a move like that is simply not in their plans.”
While a trade for Davis does not seem likely for the Warriors at this moment, a lot can change in the five weeks leading up to the Feb. 5 deadline, and it appears Dallas, at least, is open for business.
Although no transactions have officially kicked it off, NBA trade season is here and the Knicks are looking increasingly likely make a move by February’s deadline.
Some of New York's much-hyped bench pieces haven’t performed, while they’ve gotten big seasons from unexpected places, giving them some flexibility to reshuffle their rotation.
Here are the top five targets the Knicks should aim to acquire by the deadline. We’ve centered these around salaries that closely match Guerschon Yabusele’s as the main piece of a potential deal, excluding the hanging cloud that is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s availability and trades that would require shipping Josh Hart or Mitchell Robinson, which aren’t likely.
Keon Ellis
A 6-foot-4 guard doesn’t seem like it should be on the top of New York’s priority list, but as far as realistic short-term upgrades go, they may not find a better one in the league. Ellis is only a four-year player, but even spending all that time with the Sacramento Kings, his strengths have popped through.
He’s a strong defender and career 41.7 percent three-point shooter, and had his best years under Knicks head coach Mike Brown. The Kings don’t appear to value him highly despite being one of their few young talents, giving the Knicks a chance to boost their depth at a discounted cost.
Saddiq Bey
The Knicks have been starting 20-year-old rookie Mohamed Diawara and playing second-year man Kevin McCullar Jr. amid Yabusele’s disappointing season and Hart’s injury. While both have been impressive, New York could use some more veteran depth on the wing, perhaps more so than anything else.
One target who fits the bill is Bey, a six-year veteran playing for the New Orleans Pelicans. He just torched the Knicks for 26 points -- perhaps his tryout for the team -- and was an intriguing 3-and-D prospect before his shot fell off.
Nicolas Batum
The Clippers should be looking for any way to get younger and more draft assets during this disaster of a season, giving New York an edge should they call about a supplementary role player. Batum is 37 years old, long past his prime, and shouldn’t be expected to move the needle. But he’s reliable, flexible, and has played in the biggest of games.
He’s also still shooting close to 40 percent from three. If you’re looking for an under-the-radar pickup, this may be the right move.
Jose Alvarado
Linked to the Knicks by SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley, Alvarado has New York roots and plays with a New York attitude from the point guard position, hounding ball-handlers and never shrinking from a big game or shot. He’s hitting nearly 38 percent of his threes this season and would thrive in Brown’s high pace style.
Andre Drummond or Precious Achiuwa
The focus has been on wings and guards, but the Knicks could also look for a big man since their current rotation hinges heavily on Robinson’s health. Two names brought up by Begley are Drummond and Achiuwa.
The former is playing for the Philadelphia 76ers and getting plenty of chances with Joel Embiid in and out of the lineup. It’s unclear if they'd even be interested in dealing him given their own postseason aspirations, but he’s still one of the league’s most impactful rebounders and would be a big help up front.
Achiuwa spent a year and a half in New York after coming over in the OG Anunoby deal. He had a mixed career with the Knicks, bouncing in and out of the rotation and between frontcourt positions, but all under former head coach Tom Thibodeau -- opening up a potential avenue for a return and revitalization after having to deal with the Kings.
The Warriors, to close out 2025, still gave away far too many turnovers that were accompanied by perplexing decisions on Wednesday. They also let it fly from deep and found a way to end the year winning five of their last six games after beating the Charlotte Hornets 132-125 at the Spectrum Center.
Hometown hero Steph Curry scored a team-high 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting and went 5 of 10 behind the 3-point line. Curry now has 400 career games of making at least five 3-pointers.
Draymond Green dished a season-high 12 assists, showcasing his chemistry alongside Curry all game. He was a game-high plus-18, also adding 10 points and eight rebounds. To round out the Big Three, Jimmy Butler scored 19 points, going 11 of 12 from the free-throw line, and also had five rebounds and seven assists to stuff the stat sheet.
Led by Brandin Podziemski (19 points) and Gui Santos (13 points), the Warriors’ bench shone again to outscore the Hornets’ reserves 61-29.
Each team scored with ease. The Warriors shot 55.4 percent from the field, 49 percent from three and 94.1 percent at the free-throw line. On the other side, the Hornets shot 51.6 percent from the field, 40 percent from three and went 13 of 17 on free throws (76.5 percent).
However, the Warriors had a 24-point advantage from downtown, and six players made multiple threes.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ win that pushes their record to 18-16 entering 2026.
Curry’s Charlotte Homecoming
With his father, Dell, on the broadcast, all that was missing from a full family affair was a healthy Seth Curry. The younger of the Curry brothers remains sidelined due to sciatic-nerve issue related to his pelvis and lower back. But the elder still was ready to give his hometown fans plenty to cheer about.
Curry missed a layup and three to begin the game before draining a triple from the right wing. While being hugged and hounded wherever he went, the theatrics started to show up in the second quarter. Cheers echoed while Curry dropped 12 points and made three 3-pointers in the second quarter.
The strategy of holding onto Curry for dear life worked for stretches and even had him showing some frustrations. Before Wednesday, Curry was averaging 27.3 points per game in Charlotte, falling just short of the mark in Year 17.
He and Dell, in an early New Year’s Eve game, tied Dolph and Danny Schayes for the most combined games played by a father-son duo in NBA history with 2,134. They’ll stand alone when the Warriors play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday for their first game of 2026.
Three Santos
It could be four minutes, eight minutes or more. Steve Kerr knows what he’s getting from Santos.
The Brazilian always brings energy on both sides of the ball. When he’s hitting outside shots, the Warriors reap the benefits of a cherry on top. That hasn’t happened often this season. But it sure did in Charlotte.
Santos came into the day shooting a career-low 30.8 percent from three. That didn’t stop him from taking advantage of wide-open space, going a perfect 4 of 4 from the field and 3 of 3 on threes in the first half for 11 points.
“I jumped, I didn’t see anybody to pass to, but I’m glad Will showed up. I hit him, he hit me right back and I was wide open. I got to shoot that. I shot three shots, I had made all three, so I said, ‘Ahh, I gotta shoot that one too,’” Santos said to Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike at halftime while talking about his third three.
Yet as the Warriors watched their lead vanish in the third quarter, Santos was watching from the bench. Once he came in, he immediately grabbed a huge offensive rebound that led to two free throws for Butler. Those are the kind of intangibles that led to Santos being a plus-15 in 17 minutes off the bench with 13 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Wake-Up Call
Breakfast with a side of basketball was an odd feeling on Wednesday morning. The Warriors clearly still were waking up and in need of Butler’s BIGFACE Coffee at the start of the game against an 11-win Hornets team. They were all tied up at 30 points apiece after the first quarter, mostly because of six Warriors turnovers that became 10 Hornets points.
A few minutes into the second quarter, the Warriors had one of their more low-IQ sequences of the season. Following a turnover by Green where he dribbled the ball off his foot, there was a shot-clock malfunction where Moussa Diabate caught a Brandon Miller airball, but the clock reset. Refs corrected the mistake, giving the Hornets the ball out of bounds with 1.8 seconds, just for the Warriors to commit two terrible fouls – first from Gary Payton II and then Moses Moody on a Sion James 3-point attempt, to which he made two free throws.
As the Warriors went into halftime with a five-point lead behind hot shooting, they already committed 11 turnovers for 19 Hornets points. Their tendency to foul also led to the Hornets taking six more free throws than them in the first half. The Warriors started the third quarter strong, but once they held a 15-point lead, 79-64, the Hornets outscored them 36-19 the rest of the quarter to go up by two at the start of the fourth.
Giving the Hornets 28 points off 19 turnovers won’t work against better teams, which the Warriors have seen time and time again. Starting Friday, they don’t leave California until Jan. 22, giving the Warriors a stretch of games to build some real momentum.
The Warriors’ path to acquiring a superstar player before the NBA’s Feb. 5 trade deadline appears slim.
Golden State, if it wanted to acquire a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo or Anthony Davis, for example, would need to match salaries in a potential blockbuster trade due to the league’s salary cap rules for second-apron teams.
Young forward Jonathan Kuminga is one obvious piece to a potential deal, but his contract ($23.4 million this season) still is much smaller than what the biggest names that could be on the trade market are making, like Antetokounmpo ($54.1M) and Davis ($54.1M), which means Golden State likely would have to include one of its other veteran players, like forwards Draymond Green ($25.89M) or Jimmy Butler ($54.1M), to make the money work.
However, the Warriors reportedly are “staunchly” against the notion of including either Green or Butler in a potential trade, The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported in a story published Wednesday, citing team sources.
Golden State’s brass, from coach Steve Kerr to general manager Mike Dunleavy, repeatedly have expressed confidence in the team’s veteran core of Butler, Green and Steph Curry, so any seismic deal that breaks that trio up, in addition to the financial complications a potential trade might present, seems unlikely.
However, things certainly can change between now and Feb. 5, and if the Warriors end up sliding further down the Western Conference standings, Dunleavy and Co. might be inclined to really shake things up in order to give Curry a chance at winning a fifth championship.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) guards Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) during an NBA Cup game in November.Photograph: Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
That the NBA is reckoned in seasons is apt. To measure a legacy this way is as much existential as it is symbolic. Martin Heidegger argued that time is not something we pass through, but the condition of our being – less a pathway than a pressure. Heavy stuff, yes, but the NBA has always operated under similar weight.
The millennial superstars who stabilized the league for two decades are now entering their twilight: LeBron James (who turned 41 on Tuesday), Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Chris Paul. In their wake comes something genuinely new. For the first time, the league’s next dominant generation is unmistakably international. The NBA’s gen Z elite now emerge from Slovenia, Serbia, Greece, Canada and France.
America’s domestic pipeline still produces talent, but the excesses of AAU culture, one-and-done college basketball and eroding fundamentals have dulled its once overwhelming edge. In a garden crowded by its own overgrowth, the question is which strain ultimately thrives.
Each of the millennial stars now plays under the pressure of finitude. Heidegger described this as living toward an ending – an awareness that sharpens responsibility rather than diminishing it. That sense defines the league’s aging icons. For them, responsibility means one more run. Collectively, this group has won 10 championships and appeared in 23 Finals, but the odds of one last triumph are slim. Curry is straining to extend a dynasty time is quietly dismantling. LeBron is both the Lakers’ largest contract and no longer their centerpiece. Westbrook chases relevance on a lottery-bound roster. Harden remains productive but unsettled. Only Durant, newly aligned with a rising Houston team, appears plausibly positioned for one more push.
The question of succession is unavoidable. Elder statesmen Nikola Jokić (30) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (31) understand the clock well enough to know urgency has arrived. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (27) looks capable of anchoring something durable in Oklahoma City, with Luka Dončić (26) and Victor Wembanyama (21) pressing close behind. The American presence has not vanished, but it has dimmed since the 1990s. Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Cade Cunningham and Jayson Tatum keep the idea of domestic succession alive, while 19-year-old Cooper Flagg now complicates the hierarchy entirely.
The NBA has never struggled to define its image. From its rise into national consciousness, the league’s authority flowed through Black American players who made the game modern and irresistible, even while navigating deep economic contradictions. But dominance erodes. The world has caught up.
Generation Z moves differently. Previous generations were asked to embody systems that rarely worked in their favor. These players arrive as brands unto themselves, unburdened by history. American moxie still matters, but it no longer travels alone.
For decades, only Hakeem Olajuwon briefly disrupted American supremacy, and even that required Michael Jordan’s retirement. Now the balance has shifted. The millennial generation reshaped the sport – stretching shooting, flattening positions, weaponizing collectives – but even golden eras end, and their fading has left a vacuum no single nation can easily fill.
There is an uncomfortable symmetry to the timing. As American authority softens on the global stage, so too does its basketball hegemony. Players from countries once peripheral to the sport now produce its gravitational centers.
Can an American reclaim the mantle? Until recently, the answer felt unconvincing. Then Cooper Flagg arrived. As his shooting stabilizes, his path becomes clearer – and it begins where greatness has always been defined: defense.
Across generations, the truly defining stars shared not just brilliance, but responsibility on both ends of the floor. Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James could dominate a game while guarding its most dangerous opponent. That same two-way versatility distinguishes Flagg. It is what gives his ceiling historical weight.
Thrown immediately into the burden of replacing Dončić-level expectations, Flagg initially wavered. But after Dallas moved on from general manager Nico Harrison, the collective exhale allowed him to find his footing. The Mavericks sit on the fringes of the play-in picture, but Flagg already checks the league’s most important box: trust.
What makes him viable as the NBA’s next face is the rare blend of responsibility, versatility and control at an age when most players are still learning how to stay on the floor. He plays the basketball the league prefers to elevate – two-way, connective, portable. His defensive impact resembles that of elite bigs, while his offensive reads mirror those of primary creators. He spots mismatches early, toggles between force and patience, and resists rushing possessions into waste.
The NBA crowns players it can trust. As the youngest player in the league, Flagg already plays like an old one.
If the NBA is shaped by contingency rather than ceremony, then the passing of the torch is not an event but an obligation. LeBron’s generation carried the league until their bodies gave way. The world has stepped forward to claim it. But as Heidegger reminds us, what matters is not the future we imagine, but how we handle it once it arrives.
The league is not waiting for Cooper Flagg to become something else. It is already responding to what he is.
It sounds strange to say, but it is true: Nikola Jokic missing a month is great news for Denver.
Not great that he's out, but great in the sense that the hypertension of his left knee that will sideline Jokic for at least the next month is the best possible outcome from what looked like a far worse injury when it happened.
While it may “only” be a month (although don't be shocked if he is out through the All-Star break), Jokic's absence is going to change things with the Nuggets, the Western Conference playoff chase, and the MVP race (it changes everything for people betting on NBA awards futures). Let's break it all down, starting with the team itself.
How Nuggets change without Jokic
Before Monday night, the Nuggets were already dealing with a rash of injuries. Three starters were out: Aaron Gordon (hamstring strain), Christian Braun (ankle sprain) and Cam Johnson (a knee hyperextension, just like Jokic).
Despite the bad luck, the Nuggets could always rely on Jokic, one of the league's most durable players — he had played fewer than 70 games in a season only once in his career (69 in 2022-23). He hasn't missed more than five games in a row since the 2017-18 season.
Without him, Denver has to find a way to keep its head above water in a deep West. The Nuggets remain arguably the biggest threat to the Thunder in the NBA, but only if Denver enters the playoffs with everyone healthy.
Denver also needs several players to step up. For the next month at least, even more playmaking falls on the shoulders of Jamal Murray, who deserves to be a first-time All-Star this season, averaging 25.2 points and 7 assists a game, shooting 45.4% from beyond the arc. He has to be the alpha on this roster now.
Beyond Murray, this is a chance for some key guys to get paid. Peyton Watson will be a restricted free agent after this season and can make his case in the next month for a big payday. Tim Hardaway Jr. is in Denver on a minimum contract, here is his chance to prove to Denver and others that he deserves a bigger deal.
Also, Jonas Valanciunas — who was signed to back up Jokic —needs to step up and be a solid anchor in the middle on both ends of the court for the next month.
How West playoff race changes without Jokic
Denver is at 22-10 and sits as the No. 3 seed in the West, however, they remain just three games out of the play-in in a deep West. Without Jokic, the Nuggets will slide down the standings, raising two key questions.
1) How far do they slide? Can Denver win enough games in the next month to stay in the top six in the West? Or, at least stay within striking distance of the top-10? The good news for Denver is it is entering its softest part of the schedule — Tom Haberstroh noted on his podcast that the Nuggets' opponents through the end of January have just a .434 winning percentage. That helps, there are some winnable games in there. Still, the Nuggets need some guys to step up.
2) Do the Nuggets end up on the same side of the bracket as the Thunder? In an injury-free world, we would be headed for a Nuggets vs. Thunder Western Conference Finals (that would feel like the de facto NBA Finals). Now, these teams may end up on the same side of the bracket and meet in the second round — maybe even the first if things go really poorly enough for Denver in the next month.
A Denver/OKC second-round showdown would clear the path for Houston, San Antonio or another team to slide in and make the Western Conference Finals.
The best people to talk about this race are the betting experts from NBC Sports, starting with Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper).
“Jokić is likely to miss a month with the hyperextension and bone bruising which will make his qualification for MVP fairly difficult on top the massive impact it will have for the Nuggets trying to avoid the play-in seeding. The clear advantage goes to SGA in this case who has somewhere between and 85% to 90% to win now; the only realistic path to victory for an outsider is if the defending champ sustains a long-term injury as well. In that black swan event, I think Cade Cunningham, Jalen Brunson and Jaylen Brown all have compelling cases and would be great long shots at current prices because the current second tier of players face qualification questions themselves as Doncic, Giannis and Wemby have already amassed significant missed time.”
"When it comes to winning MVP, the criteria are actually pretty simple. Either you’re the best player on one of the top one or two teams in your conference, or you’re so far ahead of the field that voters are willing to overlook team record altogether.
Last season was a perfect example of how that balance plays out. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić were essentially neck and neck from a production standpoint, but Oklahoma City’s sustained dominance all year — combined with the reality that Jokić had already won the award three times — tipped the scales. The tiebreaker went to Shai.
This year, it felt like Jokić had regained momentum until the injury, and now the race once again looks like Shai’s to lose. There simply isn’t another team operating at OKC’s level, and no other player has separated himself from the pack the way Shai has over the full body of work.
The other candidates all come with caveats. Luka Dončić? The Lakers’ record just isn’t strong enough. Jalen Brunson? Same issue — the Knicks sitting as a three seed hurts his case. Jaylen Brown? Possibly, but Boston has been inconsistent at times, and the Eastern Conference is far more congested in the middle than the West.
At this point, it would take a seismic shift for the MVP to come out of the East at all. As things stand, the combination of elite individual performance and team success still points in one direction — and it’s Shai’s award to lose.
The Los Angeles Lakers have won 20 of their 31 games this season [Getty Images]
LeBron James' 41st birthday was spoiled by the Detroit Pistons, who claimed a 128-106 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Cade Cunningham scored 27 points for the Pistons, who remain top of the Eastern Conference with 25 wins from 33 games after avoiding a season-worst three-game losing streak.
Luka Doncic registered 30 points and 11 assists for the Lakers, with NBA all-time leading scorer James adding 17 points.
James became just the 12th player in NBA history to compete at age 41 or older.
He has now played 1,577 career games - second only to Robert Parish's 1,611 - as he contests his record 23rd NBA season.
The Lakers end 2025 having lost four of their past five games and sit fifth in the Western Conference.
Rookie VJ Edgecombe scored with 1.7 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Philadelphia 76ers victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
The 20-year-old contributed 25 points - including his clutch three-pointer - as the 76ers earned a 139-136 victory on the road.
Team-mates Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid led their side with 34 points apiece as the 76ers ended a three-game losing streak.
Ja Morant responded with 40 points for the Grizzlies, while rookie Cedric Coward added a career-high 28 points, but the hosts fell to back-to-back defeats.
There were also wins for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.
The Clippers claimed a fifth straight victory with a dominant 131-90 win over the Sacramento Kings, while the Celtics beat the Utah Jazz 129-119.
Detroit Pistons forward Paul Reed scores on a reverse layup in front of Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) and center Jaxson Hayes, right, in the Lakers' 128-106 loss at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
LeBron James strolled to the scorer’s table Tuesday night and went through his pregame routine of throwing chalk up in the air, an iconic moment in his NBA-record 23rd season and on his 41st birthday.
James still marvels with his abilities to be a force at this stage of his career, leaving teammates and opponents in awe.
But the Lakers were unable to give James the celebration he wanted, losing 128-106 to the Detroit Pistons at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers, who had 20 turnovers, have lost four of their last five games, and their 11 losses this season have been by at least 10 points.
Lakers star LeBron James is fouled by Detroit Pistons guard Javonte Green (31) in the first half Tuesday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
James finished with 17 points and Luka Doncic had 30 points and 11 assists but they took a seat on the bench for good with four minutes and 9 seconds left when the Lakers were down 122-96.
The Lakers (20-11) were better defensively in the third quarter after struggling in the first half. After giving up 36 points in the first quarter, 34 in the second, the Lakers gave up 26 in the third and were down 96-88.
But the Lakers fell apart in the fourth, getting run over by an 18-6 Pistons run that put the Lakers in a 20-point hole midway through the quarter. Detroit went on to outscore the Lakers 32-18 in the quarter.
Lakers coach JJ Redick called a timeout with six minutes remaining, but that didn't stop the Pistons (25-8), who got 27 points and 11 assists from Cade Cunningham.
Before the game, Redick said he's had conversations with James about what it takes to play at such a high level for so long.
“He talked about, you had to sacrifice loved ones,” Redick said. “I think there's an external cost that comes with caring, and I think there's also an internal cost, and that can be exhaustion, could be burnout, could be mental fatigue, physical fatigue.
"That's why you don't see many — I don't know about in other industries — but you don't see many great athletes that can sustain it for as long as he sustained it."
Detroit also showed its ability to sustain a level of greatness, scoring 70 points in the first 24 minutes and making 67.5% of their shots and 57.1% of their threes. They had 19 fast-break points in the first half.
Doncic had 24 points in the first half, making eight of 10 free throws.
James had 15 at the half, going five of 10 from the field and three of six from three-point range.
Etc.
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura missed the game with right calf soreness and is expected to be out for about a week.
Clifford finished with a team-best 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting and three triples, while Raynaud poured in 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
“These players are good, man,” Christie said of the rookies. “They’re trying to do the right things. We’re here for them; we’re going to support them; we’re going to show them film; we’re going to develop; we keep working with them.”
It was the first time the Kings and Clippers met during the 2025-26 NBA season.
That also means that Tuesday night’s 41-point loss was the first time Clifford and Raynaud faced Los Angeles stars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, who combined for 54 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, seemingly without breaking a sweat.
Christie discussed his rookies’ growing pains against the Clippers duo, emphasizing that Clifford and Raynaud only will improve as they stack professional experiences.
“You have to go through the league first,” Christie said of Clifford and Raynaud. “You know, that was the first time they have seen Kawhi, that’s the first time they have seen James Harden. Nique got some fouls against [Harden] that he’s like, ‘What did I do?’ And I’m just like, ‘Listen, man, you got to put yourself in the right position … You can’t wait for him to hit you; you have to hit him first.’ There are little things that [Clifford] has to learn; the same with Max.
“We have to live with some of those mistakes from Max and Nique. But I will tell you that they’re not coming from a bad place. Those kids are just trying, they’re figuring it out, and that’s everything that we can ask for from them. And they continue to improve. The bumps and bruises they’re going to along the way [are] part of what you have to go through in this league to figure it out — and they will; I mean, I’m not worried about that.”
Clifford, whom Sacramento selected No. 24 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, now is up to six games of double-digit scoring. And Raynaud, who was drafted by Sacramento at No. 42, continues to settle into the starting center spot in place of the injured Domantas Sabonis and is up to six double-doubles.
The Kings aren’t where they want to be as a team, now with an 8-25 record entering the new year.
But Clifford and Raynaud are taking advantage of their respective opportunities, particularly the “bumps and bruises,” as Christie emphasized.
“It really is a rite of passage, man,” Christie said. “Like, you got to go through it. Because a lot of times, what you see in this league is, even with a team, they’ll have success for a year, and then they come back, and you’re like, ‘What happened?’ Because this league figures you out.
“If you don’t take advantage of this time, if you don’t go through and have all of those bumps and bruises, you know, that rookie year kind of drags on into next year. And before you know it, you kind of get labeled, and those are things that we don’t want for our players. Player development is big; they got to take this stuff seriously.”
Christie added that he advises his youngsters to journal their experiences after every game so that they have a “vast amount of knowledge” to reflect on in future matchups.
It seems that Clifford and Raynaud, despite their team’s struggles, have nowhere to go but up.
“The biggest part of all of that is that they are good kids, and they want to be good,” Christie said. “So they stay in the gym, they listen, they do the right things …”
VJ Edgecombe’s clutch exploits came on the road with the Sixers.
The rookie buried the second game-winner of his career Tuesday night in Memphis. The Grizzlies hard hedged Tyrese Maxey on the perimeter and he dished to Edgecombe, who nailed a go-ahead three-pointer with 2.2 seconds left in overtime. Cedric Coward’s miss at the final buzzer cemented a 139-136 Sixers win.
With their first victory of a five-game road trip, the Sixers moved to 17-14 and snapped a three-game losing streak. They’ll play the Mavs on Thursday night.
Memphis dropped to 15-17. Ja Morant starred for the Grizzlies with 40 points and Coward posted 28 points and 16 rebounds.
The Sixers got 34 points, 10 rebounds and a season-high eight assists from Joel Embiid.
Maxey had 34 points and 12 assists. Edgecombe added 25 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals.
The Sixers’ two injury absences were Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee LCL sprain) and Trendon Watford (left adductor strain). According to a team official, both players are continuing to progress and started to be “reintegrated into team activities” at Monday’s practice.
Here are observations on the Sixers’ dramatic OT win Tuesday:
Déjà vu at the start
Edgecombe swished a three-pointer for his team’s first basket. Outside of that, there was little to like early on for the Sixers.
Memphis jumped in front and took a 17-7 lead on Coward’s corner three. The Thunder had opened 9 for 9 from the floor Sunday in their blowout win over the Sixers. Two days later, the Grizzlies started 7 for 8.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse called timeout. Though the Sixers certainly did not snap into lockdown defense mode, they at least stabilized the situation overall.
Maxey had a second straight outstanding start highlighted by near-perfect shooting. The 25-year-old scored a dozen points in both the first and second quarters. His only first-half miss was a tightly guarded three on the Sixers’ final possession of the first quarter.
Maxey-Embiid duo flowing
Embiid committed two fouls in under seven minutes. Edgecombe picked up his third peronal at the 9:26 mark of the second quarter and sat out the rest of the first half.
The Sixers still earned their first lead with Maxey sitting early in the second quarter. Embiid drilled a top-of-the-key three and had success on multiple occasions when he popped off of double drag actions. A Jared McCain fast-break layup put the Sixers up 47-46.
The Maxey-Embiid two-man game was brilliant once the Sixers’ superstar guard checked back in. The duo diced up Memphis’ defense with pick-and-pops, dribble handoffs and heaps of individual talent. The Embiid-Maxey pair posted 43 points in the first half on just 23 field goal attempts and eight assists.
Nurse played a big frontcourt of Embiid and Adem Bona late in the second half. Largely thanks to Embiid’s defense, the Sixers fared well. The Sixers forced a flurry of turnovers and Embiid had a bright, energetic defensive stretch with two blocks and a steal. Bona did all the dirty work and chipped in four points, six rebounds, two blocks and two assists. He was deservedly the Sixers’ lone backup center and Andre Drummond stayed on the bench.
On top of the production, Embiid’s mobility and minutes were encouraging. He logged a season-high 38 minutes in Memphis.
Maxey capped the first half with a fantastic play when he somehow hit a leaning, double-pump three with 1.1 seconds left in the second quarter. He looked amazed by his own work.
The Grizzlies scored the first six points of the second half and the Sixers appeared on their way to more third-quarter misery. Coward and Wells drained threes against the Sixers’ zone defense to give Memphis a 90-81 lead.
The Sixers replied with a much-needed run.
Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes each turned steals into fast-break baskets. The Sixers had a major turnovers advantage (20-9) in Memphis.
They took a slim lead into the fourth quarter, but Morant had a hot start to the final frame. After making a mid-range jumper on McCain, he got Bona on a switch and then drove in for a tough one-one layup with his left hand.
While Edgecombe did not shoot especially well for much of the night, he came through with tons of timely plays in the fourth quarter and OT. George converted a cutting layup and Edgecombe sunk two threes in a row. The Sixers led by seven points with a little over four minutes on the clock. Edgecombe had a 13-point fourth period.
The Sixers struggled to stamp a win, failing to find a decisive basket. Embiid committed his fifth foul on an illegal screen, Maxey missed a mid-range jumper, and Morant made a game-tying floater.
Memphis had a chance to win on the final play of regulation but couldn’t capitalize. Grimes and Embiid swarmed Morant. Jalen Wells and Santi Aldama both missed go-ahead three attempts.
Eventually, the Sixers’ stars saw a few shots drop again in OT. Maxey made a driving lay-in through contact and Embiid hit two mid-range hoops.
Morant jetted past Edgecombe and laid the ball in with 18.3 seconds to go in OT, tying the game up again.
VJ Edgecombe’s clutch exploits came on the road with the Sixers.
The rookie buried the second game-winner of his career Tuesday night in Memphis. The Grizzlies hard hedged Tyrese Maxey on the perimeter and he dished to Edgecombe, who nailed a go-ahead three-pointer with 2.2 seconds left in overtime. Cedric Coward’s miss at the final buzzer cemented a 139-136 Sixers win.
With their first victory of a five-game road trip, the Sixers moved to 17-14 and snapped a three-game losing streak. They’ll play the Mavs on Thursday night.
Memphis dropped to 15-17. Ja Morant starred for the Grizzlies with 40 points and Coward posted 28 points and 16 rebounds.
The Sixers got 34 points, 10 rebounds and a season-high eight assists from Joel Embiid.
Maxey had 34 points and 12 assists. Edgecombe added 25 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals.
The Sixers’ two injury absences were Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee LCL sprain) and Trendon Watford (left adductor strain). According to a team official, both players are continuing to progress and started to be “reintegrated into team activities” at Monday’s practice.
Here are observations on the Sixers’ dramatic OT win Tuesday:
Déjà vu at the start
Edgecombe swished a three-pointer for his team’s first basket. Outside of that, there was little to like early on for the Sixers.
Memphis jumped in front and took a 17-7 lead on Coward’s corner three. The Thunder had opened 9 for 9 from the floor Sunday in their blowout win over the Sixers. Two days later, the Grizzlies started 7 for 8.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse called timeout. Though the Sixers certainly did not snap into lockdown defense mode, they at least stabilized the situation overall.
Maxey had a second straight outstanding start highlighted by near-perfect shooting. The 25-year-old scored a dozen points in both the first and second quarters. His only first-half miss was a tightly guarded three on the Sixers’ final possession of the first quarter.
Maxey-Embiid duo flowing
Embiid committed two fouls in under seven minutes. Edgecombe picked up his third peronal at the 9:26 mark of the second quarter and sat out the rest of the first half.
The Sixers still earned their first lead with Maxey sitting early in the second quarter. Embiid drilled a top-of-the-key three and had success on multiple occasions when he popped off of double drag actions. A Jared McCain fast-break layup put the Sixers up 47-46.
The Maxey-Embiid two-man game was brilliant once the Sixers’ superstar guard checked back in. The duo diced up Memphis’ defense with pick-and-pops, dribble handoffs and heaps of individual talent. The Embiid-Maxey pair posted 43 points in the first half on just 23 field goal attempts and eight assists.
Nurse played a big frontcourt of Embiid and Adem Bona late in the second quarter. Largely thanks to Embiid’s defense, the Sixers fared well. The Sixers forced a flurry of turnovers and Embiid had a bright, energetic defensive stretch with two blocks and a steal. Bona did all the dirty work and chipped in four points, six rebounds, two blocks and two assists. He was deservedly the Sixers’ lone backup center and Andre Drummond stayed on the bench.
On top of the production, Embiid’s mobility and minutes were encouraging. He logged a season-high 38 minutes in Memphis.
Maxey capped the first half with a fantastic play when he somehow hit a leaning, double-pump three with 1.1 seconds left in the second quarter. He looked amazed by his own work.
The Grizzlies scored the first six points of the second half and the Sixers appeared on their way to more third-quarter misery. Coward and Jaylen Wells drained threes against the Sixers’ zone defense to give Memphis a 90-81 lead.
The Sixers replied with a much-needed run.
Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes each turned steals into fast-break baskets. The Sixers had a major turnovers advantage (20-9) on Tuesday night.
They took a slim lead into the fourth quarter, but Morant had a hot start to the final frame. After making a mid-range jumper on McCain, he got Bona on a switch and then drove in for a tough one-one layup with his left hand.
While Edgecombe did not shoot especially well for much of the night, he came through with tons of timely plays in the fourth quarter and OT. Paul George converted a cutting layup and Edgecombe sunk two threes in a row. The Sixers led by seven points with a little over four minutes on the clock. Edgecombe had a 13-point fourth period.
The Sixers struggled to stamp a win, failing to find a decisive basket. Embiid committed his fifth foul on an illegal screen, Maxey missed a mid-range jumper, and Morant made a game-tying floater.
Memphis had a chance to win on the final play of regulation but couldn’t capitalize. Grimes and Embiid swarmed Morant. Wells and Santi Aldama both missed go-ahead three-point attempts.
Eventually, the Sixers’ stars saw a few shots drop again in OT. Maxey made a driving lay-in through contact and Embiid hit two mid-range hoops.
Morant jetted past Edgecombe and laid the ball in with 18.3 seconds to go in overtime, tying the game up once more.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Kings seemingly had a chance to earn their ninth win of the 2025-26 NBA season on Tuesday night against a Los Angeles Clippers team that entered with 10.
That was not the case — at all.
Two days after losing 125-101 to LeBron James and the Lakers on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena, the Kings were thrashed 131-90 by Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers just 20 minutes away at Intuit Dome.
Los Angeles continued its midseason resurgence and four-game winning streak to cap off Sacramento’s demoralizing stay in the City of Angels.
The Kings battled early, but trailed 34-20 after the first quarter and 73-40 at halftime. Sacramento, which shot an uncompetitive 34 of 83 to Los Angeles’ 46 of 90, never held a lead.
Rookie guard Nique Clifford led the Kings with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting with a trio of 3-pointers, two assists and one rebound. Fellow rookie Maxime Raynaud and Russell Westbrook followed with 12 points apiece.
Here are three takeaways from the Kings’ 41-point, blowout loss.
Keegan Murray’s Return
Keegan Murray looked healthy after missing the Kings’ last two games with a calf injury suffered in Sacramento’s 136-127 loss to the Detroit Pistons seven days ago at Golden 1 Center.
Despite posting 11 points on a subpar 4-of-13 shooting, Murray more importantly played a team-high 20 first-half minutes and 30 total minutes without visible limitations mobility-wise.
He got up for one dunk, one block and two rebounds. Notably, he often — and relatively comfortably — guarded Leonard, Los Angeles’ top offensive threat.
Kings coach Doug Christie surely wasn’t satisfied with Sacramento’s two-game stretch in Hollywood. But returning home for New Year’s Day with a healthy Murray must be somewhat pleasing.
Hometown Woes
It always is special when DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook, a pair of Los Angeles natives, have the opportunity to play back home in front of family and friends.
Tuesday night, however, did not feature either of the NBA icons’ best performances.
Westbrook, a former Clipper, quietly finished with 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting with four assists and three rebounds.
And DeRozan, the Kings’ current leading scorer with Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis sidelined with injuries, posted a quiet eight points on 2-of-8 shooting with seven boards and three assists.
The Kings needed more out of everybody against the Clippers. Though they could’ve used a boost from their hometown heroes — especially against other big-time local products such as James Harden and Leonard.
Kawhi Keeps Cookin’
Leonard recently has been on a mission, and unfortunately for the Kings, dominating Sacramento was the 6-foot-7 forward’s latest task.
The reigning Western Conference Player of the Week sleepwalked his way into an efficient 33 points in 33 minutes with five assists and five rebounds.
Leonard, of course, was coming off a career-high 55-point game in Los Angeles’ 112-99 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.
“He’s been playing at an incredible level,” Christie said of Leonard pregame. “I had watched some games earlier, and he hadn’t been playing at that level. And I’m looking, it was like 40 [points], then 55, and I was like, ‘Right before you play us.’ ”
There aren’t any superstars that any team wants to face. But at the moment, Leonard is one of the league’s scariest scorers, and the schedule aligned in a way that did the Kings zero favors.
“For me to be able to represent so many people that made this possible, I hope that that’s what they feel. A diploma is one thing. An elite achievement is another thing. This [sign] is another. I might be stealing the sign to take it home.”
A homecoming to remember
Honoring a legacy that started with @DavidsonMBB, Exit 30 to Davidson College is now officially the Stephen Curry Interchange. pic.twitter.com/b4OGoSIEFp
Curry’s wife Ayesha and his Golden State teammates Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody were in attendance for the momentous affair, which took place during halftime of the Davidson Wildcats’ 89-83 overtime loss to the Duquesne Dukes.
Curry played three seasons at Davidson from 2006 to 2009, where he was named a two-time Southern Conference Player of the Year, consensus All-American and NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Most Outstanding Player before he was selected by the Warriors with the No. 7 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.
In the summer of 2022, shortly after the Warriors’ fourth NBA championship, Curry had his No. 30 jersey retired by the school, was inducted into its Hall of Fame and officially earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology. In March 2025, Davidson named Curry assistant GM of the college’s basketball programs, making him the first active player in U.S. pro sports to take an administrative job with an NCAA team.
“You’ve represented our values of leadership and service,” Davidson College president Douglas Hicks said Tuesday during the ceremony. “You’ve lifted up youth from Ada Jenkins Center here in Davidson to schools across Oakland.
“Everybody knows that the entrance to Davidson is Exit 30, and we hope that your heart will always lead you back to [the town of] Davidson and Davidson College.”
With a fitting ceremony on Dec. 30 for No. 30 officially done, the Warriors now look ahead to facing Curry’s hometown Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday at Spectrum Center.
Draymond Green rarely turns down a chance to trash talk opposing players.
Or sometimes — as was the case in the Warriors’ 120-107 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night — opposing fans.
In the third quarter, Green was at the line for a pair of free-throw attempts. That’s when 89-year-old Nets superfan Bruce Reznick, a.k.a. Mr. Whammy, stood up behind the basket trying to distract the Warriors star.
But this occasion seems to have been all in good fun, though Green eventually did miss a free throw at that end of the court later in the game. So we’ll call this round a 1-1 draw between Mr. Whammy and Green.
It seemed like a harsh truth for a team that has won four championships in the last 10-plus years.
Warriors star Draymond Green, a focal point of that dynasty, did not dispute Kerr’s assessment.
“When you get down to it, the reality is it’s true. Dynasties don’t last forever. What you do is you try to prolong them as long as you can. You try to build on them as much as you can. But it’s true,” Green said Monday on “The Draymond Green Show.”
“Now, he didn’t say we’re a dynasty that faded. He said we are a fading dynasty. Guess what? Steph Curry’s in year 17. I’m in year 14. Klay Thompson, who’s gone, would be in year 15. When you talk about the dynasty, Steve Kerr is in his 12th year of coaching …”
“We’ve been at it for a while. So, when he says we’re a ‘fading dynasty,’ everyone knows that he’s not throwing salt. He’s not putting the team down. It’s true. But it’s our job as the ones inside the dynasty to try to prolong it as long as we’re given the opportunity,” Green continued.
In the three seasons after their 2021-22 NBA Championship, the Warriors have ended with two second-round playoff exits and missed the playoffs once in between. The team has been mired in a continuous hassle to stay above a .500 record and still sit at 17-16 well into the 2025-26 NBA season.
It’s clear, to Kerr and Green alike, that the once-firm grip that Golden State had on the NBA has been unclenched.
Nevertheless, the Warriors are not laying down. The blockbuster acquisition of Jimmy Butler last season catapulted a team through the finish line and into a postseason run that arguably ended prematurely with an injury to their superstar Curry.
“How long can we extend it? How much more can we do? That’s the goal. That’s the mindset. That’s the mission,” Green said.
The Warriors organization – at least Kerr and Green – are aligned in that mission.
“We know where we are. We’ve got to know who we are,” Kerr said last week. “We got to know what’s possible, and we have to take pride in the struggle, because this is part of life.”
